Film Reviews by RP

Shame that the powers that be decided to pull this Battlestar Gallactica prequel after just one season. We had Mafia type rival families, religious battles for total domination and what would have been a nice start as we saw the birth of the first skin job. But sadly ratings eventually defeated the series. I suppose it did become a little ponderous at times and too slow for those expecting battles and big stage space opera. But I enjoyed it and at the end of the series there is a glimpse into what might have been had we been allowed to continue the journey. Well worth a watch in the expectation that this is a different animal and telling a different story than its famous long running older sibling. Or should that be more famous child? But not to be and if only for curiosity, now worth a look. So say we all.

One of those films I hesitated to put on my long list of DVDs. I mean it is a comedy horror thriller. They never work that well. But in the end when you snort at Melanie Scrofano's character every time she is on screen and have to look away when Samara Weaving's character is climbing up a ladder and there is a close up of a nail at the top. Well it actually works well if you know what you are getting into. It is fun and silly and entertaining. It shouldn't work but it does. It is just annoyingly entertaining.

Hadn't seen this film for some time and was delighted to catch up with it again. If anything Night of The Generals is even better than I remember. With so much acting talent on show it is a great reminder how a fairly standard plot can be magnified into something special. Peter O' Toole brought his unique style playing one of the Generals suspected of being a killer. In a War that is brutal and has death as a badge of honour, who cares if a prostitute is brutally murdered? Omar Sharif does and despite the mayhem of War is determined to find the killer.

The side plot of the attempted killing of Hitler adds to the confusion with Donald Pleasence, Charles Gray and Tom Courtenay adding to the acting class on show. A great film and a delight to see it again.

Multi layered plot and acting make this an entertaining series. It may be worth having the subtitles on as the deep Southern Drawl takes away from some of the finer points. Make sure you watch to the very end as well. If you can enjoy the long car driving sequences and persevere through the nothing much happens until it does bits. Then it really is worth the effort. Disturbing and enjoyably sharp.

A fun followup to the first film ten years ago. I am not quite sure why some found it not as successful and even tired. But I found it funny and entertaining and the new characters added to the enjoyment. Zombies have been done to death, but that doesn't mean the return of the original cast and new additions didn't make for a romp worth seeing. Zombies being slaughtered while the characters battle with their own insecurity was always fun. It was never supposed to be more than the sum of its parts and it all adds up to a light 90 minutes of light hearted slaughter.

I remember first hearing the original London Theatre recording when I was still at school. My Sister had bought the record and as all annoying little brothers do I made her life miserable by playing and replaying it. Since then there have been many casts and many interpretations and many different styles and singers of the powerful songs. Some more successful than others. But this live version, all the years after the original, actually works very well. John Legend makes a surprisingly good and vulnerable Jesus. Sara Bareilles a more comforting Mary, busy going around trying to make everybody happy. The hardest part of Judas played by Brandon Victor Dixon is delivered with power and conviction. All in all I was transported back to the first time I heard the music. Well worth a watch if one is a fan of the music.

If you love films about the film World. Especially one that carries the atmosphere of an era so well. If you don't mind the mixture of total fiction surrounding a true event. Then frankly this film is pure delight. It is set around the time and place of the Manson Murders. I read about how people were shocked and upset by the violence of the fictional ending. All I can say is that the reality was far more horrific than the typical Tarantino cartoon violence. But the acting and the struggle of a one time lead actor in a top tv western and his ever present stunt man turned assistant is well realised. If you remember the old tv of Branded and Gunsmoke and Land Of The Giants etc. Then the movie will have you remembering the era with delight. Just a delightful nostalgic imagining of an time and place and events that never happened in the way portrayed but how we wish they did.

Not often that a film one saw back when it was released in the early 70s still manages to engage. It could have been just another thriller that is based on an Agatha Christie story. Easily forgettable and quickly dismissed. However even after all this time Endless Night still manages to hold the atmosphere with some lovely casting and acting. The twist in the tale, the change of direction. All are well done and delightfully joined together. The elfin Hayley Mills was never lovelier. Britt Ekland was never so believable. A lovely little thriller that will draw you in. Delighted to see it again after all this time.

Although I am really sorry to see the end of the series. It is probably fair to say it could have ended a season before. This final season was really a chance to say goodbye to some of the characters from the previous six seasons. All of whom, even if they were only there as a baddie for one episode, are very memorable. There is a new force for evil in this shortened final season. One that has money and backing and power. Surely a match for Holmes and Watson? There is a tragic end for somebody and a few needlessly written possible ends for others. But hurriedly they are explained and by the end we are left with the feeling the writers were split between happy and sad denouements So goodbye then to one of the most entertaining detective series around. Far more relatable and fun than the BBC version of Sherlock Holmes, although other will disagree. I for one will miss male and female lead characters managing to be friends without any needless romantic attachments. Both being as important as the other.

If you are old enough to remember the First series when it was shown. The odd originality, the continual mystery and the who killed Laura Palmer questions, made the series a must see. The second series started to unravel and seemed to lose much of the originality. It became an interesting yet ultimately flawed bit of storytelling. Stunning to a few and too bizarre to others. This third new series takes place many years later and again has some wonderful moments and some bizarre ones. But ultimately it feels like a good idea that just runs out of steam. Some episodes make you question the chair you are sitting in. A comfy cushion would come in handy. While others move along the legend and story nicely. A mixture of nostalgia and confusion and moments that will make you happy you bothered while others will make you ponder your sanity. Watch the original series, watch the film and then watch this. Some questions will be connected and make sense. Much of it will not. You will have to be a fan to get through it with a smile and a knowing nod. I was pleased I saw it but have decided not to take the exam if there is one. I just feel a little too peaky to turn up.

A film about allowing friends to move on without suffocating them. A bit heavy? Well it is all done in typical bright lights and whistles and tongue in cheek humour. Delightful nonsense while sending up the studios many franchise and the internet. Nicely paced for kids and adults with plenty going on. Thought it was one of the better recent Disney Films which was a delight and a surprise.

Enjoyable, light musical about Christmas at a school. The loss of a parent and abandonment. Clinging onto the need for relationships. Some nice catchy songs and a Zombie apocalypse. All in all I found it enjoyable and other than some dreadful over the top acting by some of the more experienced actors. A delightful waste of an hour and a half.

Despite finishing on a shock twist. The series was cancelled after just one season. A spin off from The Blacklist. Redemption had characters connected to it's parent and tried to go the spy thriller route. Who was fooling who and who was the real baddie? All in all the episodes were exciting in a typical, smack a few keys on a computer and the baddies address is found. Plus the twist in the tail was clearly made for the seasons to continue. Alas it was not to be.

An unfinished series with interesting subplots whose characters didn't quite capture the interest.

After a few iffy seasons. Or at least iffy half seasons. Season Five of Blacklist is back to its best. We have a shock in an early episode and plenty of good characters and twists and turns in every story. Yes we have to put up with a needless mushy bit that slows down the pace. Last season was a baby that was the centre of the story. Now the kid is almost totally forgotten in a throwaway line. But pointless romance between characters has to get in the way.

On the whole though, the episodes are almost all strong. Even the lighter ones. Then we have a big pay off at the end. Big secrets that run for a season are usually anticlimactic. But not this one. You mean he .............Didn't see that coming. Others probably will. But a great season with good plots and consistent stories. Great to have it back to its best.

If viewers have watched the first two series then while it was weird it worked. But the last series seems superfluous. Yes it wraps stuff up and makes things tidy. But the already weird inhabitants of Fortitude behave even more oddly and it has nothing to do with any evil Parasite. The wide eyed acting of the evil ones. The calm acting of those not yet under any influence and the confused acting of the rest. Sort of mirrors the viewers reaction. The first two series we just about could handle. But these extra 4 episodes feel like filler. Best to leave on ice.